Where Trump’s Trade War Hit

A Quiet Day on the Docks

On a recent Thursday, a normally bustling 300-foot crane at Everport Terminal sat idle—one of the first visible casualties of President Trump’s steep new tariffs. Nearly 20 percent of the 99 ships expected in May never arrived.

How Tariffs Paralyze the Nation’s Busiest Port Complex

• 40 % of U.S. imports, 30 % of exports — handled by the adjoining Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

• Roughly 100,000 dockworkers (and another 900,000 truckers, warehouse staff, etc.) now ride a tariff-driven boom-and-bust cycle.

The Numbers Behind the Slowdown

Ripple Effects Across the Supply Chain

• Freight costs doubling ➜ higher retail prices by late 2025.

• Companies and households front-loaded purchases, dampening future demand.

• Trucking firms like Redefined Transportation report container moves down 50 %; drivers laid off, rates slashed.

Historical Echoes

• Highest U.S. tariff levels since the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act, which worsened the Great Depression and slashed imports 40 % in two years.

A Port Shaped by Globalization

• 1907: Port of LA founded.

• 1960s: Container revolution + Asian factory expansion.

• 2001: China joins WTO; today 45 % of LA cargo is China-linked.

Crisis Playbook 2.0

After weathering:

1. 2018–19 trade war

2. 2020-21 pandemic surge

3. 2025 tariff whiplash
   … terminals now optimize yard space, share data in real-time, and lean on shipping alliances to stay afloat.

Jobs on the Line

• Union hiring hall shows 40 % fewer shifts.

• Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero: tariffs endanger current jobs without reviving manufacturing (only 8 % of U.S. workforce today).

The Economic Warning

“A very serious threat … just about to hit the economy.”
— Mark Zandi, Moody’s Analytics

Looking Ahead

Terminal chief Jon Poelma sums it up: “The one certainty is that uncertainty isn’t going away.”